The Big Reveal
by Xorrel
Summary: A series of one-shots on the possible ways that Castle and Beckett's friends and family find out about their  hopefully future  relationship.
1. Pancakes

_This is going to be a collection of one shots in which Castle and Beckett's friends and family are going to find out about their (hopefully future) relationship in different ways. I'll just be adding to it whenever I get a strike of inspiration of if I'm bored._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or any of the characters._

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><p><strong>The Big Reveal - Pancakes<strong>

Beckett woke to find herself sprawled across a very comfortable pillow that she liked to call Castle. Said pillow was just as naked as she was and was staring down at her smiling with a glint in his eye. She fought the urge to fall back asleep as his fingers were combing themselves through her hair, massaging her head. Her arm that was wrapped around his waist tightened as she lifted her head to kiss him softly on the lips.

"Morning, Kate."

"Morning, Rick."

They had been dating for about three weeks. Castle had finally confronted his feelings about her after Josh had been gone a while, much to his liking. He was obviously over the moon that she felt the exact same way. They'd been on their fifth date the night before, a smiple dinner so they could get away from the trying case at the precinct and not surprisingly, Kate had asked him up to her apartment, which was how the got to where they were now, and as expected, it had been pretty damn mindblowing. Not that Kate would admit that to him just yet. His ego was big enough without making it explode.

"Night, Rick."

"Night? It's 7AM. Time to get up, Kate."

"Mmmm. Shh. Going to sleep."

He should've guessed she wouldn't be a morning person with what little sleep she gets. Luckily for him, he had the perfect bribe.

"If you get up now, I'll make it worth your while..."

His hand went lower down her body to caress her lower back with his fingers. She shivered under his ministrations, but wasn't quite ready to give in to temptation.

"What do you mean by that, Mr Castle?" She had a small grin on her face, ready to accept his offer. He retracted his hand and ruffled her hair.

"Pancakes of course. You know full well that I can create a mean pancake, and you even get a choice of topping." He jumped out of bed and looked around for his boxers and pants to put them on. "Chocolate chips, chocolate sauce, marshmallows, blueberries, raspberries or plain. Or I can even make you a smo-"

"No smorelettes. Alexis warned me about your deadly creations, and just because you can do delicious things to my body, it doesn't mean that I'm gonna give in."

"Aww, but smorlettes are delicious too." He raised an eyebrow trying to convince her. He should've have known better than to try when a pillow hit his face. "Remember what Esposito said. I need to thank you sooo much for last night."

She turned on to her back and pulled the sheets up to cover her chest whilst biting her lip. "And this morning."

"Nothing has happened this morning." He looked at her confused, pulling the zipper of his pants up when she jumped out of bed, letting the sheet fall to the floor, leaving her stood there without anything to cover her up. Castle swallowed loudly when she grabbed his zipper and pulled it back down whilst pushing him towards the bathroom door.

"Trust me, Ricky. With all the time we've got to make up for, you're gonna be needing a lot more pancakes."

With all the noise that they and the shower were creating, they didn't hear Kate's phone beep to signal an incoming text message.

* * *

><p>Half an hour later, they were sat at the table in her apartment wrapped in towels and eating the pancakes that Castle had made. Much to his dismay, there were no fancy toppings unless he liked furry bacon on his food.<p>

"These are good. You could become a chef if you ever give up on writing."

"Nah. I love writing too much. Plus, I don't get the excuse of needing to follow you for research, even if you are amazingly tasty."

She blushed at his comment and heard her phone start to ring in her bedroom. "I'll be right back. No stealing my food whilst I'm gone."

He watched her ass as she walked to her room, her hips swaying more than usual. Not that he'd looked before of course. He was biting into his last pancake as there was a knock on the door and he wouldn't be Castle if he didn't investigate to see who it was. Looking thorugh the peep hole in her door, his eyes went wide. He could see dark skin and black hair belonging to the one and only Lanie Parish. Ohhhh, this wasn't good. No one knew about their relationship, and Kate wouldn't appreciate it if her best friend was to find them both wearing towels with wet hair on the morning of their day off.

He turned around to run to Kate quickly but aslmost knocked her over as she came hurtling towards him, her hand clutching at the towel to keep it covering her. They both uttered there explanation at the same time, whispering to keep the woman in question unaware of Castle's presence. Kate held her phone up for him to see the text Lanie had sent.

**We're going shopping as it's your day off. Be there in 30. L x**

"Crap," he whispered, "She's gonna kill me when she finds me here."

"Kill you?" She hissed. "What about me. We've been together for three week and I didn't tell her. Besides, she isn't going to find you."

"Seriously. She can smell a man from a mile away. I think we're doomed." He saw the glare on his girlfriend's face. They hadn't talked about telling everyone they knew, but it was obvious that Kate didn't want Lanie to find out right now. "Fine, I'll go hide in the closet or under the bed or something."

He tip-toed theatrically to the bedroom, causing Kate to surpress a small laugh. Even at a time like this, he managed to make her smile. She was in a towel, but it was only Lanie at the door, she wouldn't mind. Grabbing hold of the handle and taking a deep breath, she pulled the door open to find Lanie stood there. But she wasn't alone. Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan were stood behind the ME, wide eyed looks on their faces and mouths open in shock. This wasn't the kind of situation you prepared yourself for. Seeing your boss practically naked at her front door wasn't in the handbook, so there was no protocol.

"Jesus, Lanie. You could've told me Tweedledum and Tweedledee would be here." She shut the door so it was only open an inch and retreated to the bedroom to put on some clothes. She heard her friends walk in get comfortable on the sofa. Opening her closet to get some jeans and a sweater she was face to face with a naked Castle, his towel by his feet. She gasped and looked him up and down before turning around to grab his clothes from the floor and throw them at him. "Castle. Put some clothes on and stay hidden." She closed the closet once again after giving him a short but passionate kiss, leaving him shellshocked and slightly aroused.

After getting changed, she retreated back to the main room and asked if her friends wanted a drink.

"Why are you guys here?"

"Well, we're going shopping. Javi wanted to go over to Castle's for a few hours of XBOX so I said I'd drop him off. Of course, Kev wanted in and I had to pick him up along the way." Lanie stopped before taking a sip of her coffee. "So when are we gonna meet the guy who's got you glowing this morning?" She raised her eyebrows casually as she drank from her mug to hide the smile.

"That good, huh? We'll be talking about that later. And Javi of course."

"Oh, I'm so honoured." Esposito turned around from talking to Ryan about video games.

Lanie got up after a few minutes to put her empty mug in the kitchen and caught sight of the two plates of half-eaten pancakes on the table. Obviously, they'd rushed to make sure that Lanie wouldn't find them. The ME turned to Kate who had followed her into the kitchen.

"You know, girl, I'd almost say that you didn't want me to know that you had a guy here. You know you can tell me, right?"

Kate wasn't in the best of moods considering her male colleagues had turned up to see her scantily dressed, her boyfriend was hiding half naked in her bedroom closet, and her best friend didn't know that said boyfriend existed.

"You didn't tell me about Esposito for a good few weeks. I wanted to keep this to myself for a while. I wasn't trying to be secretive or anything."

Lanie smiled at her. "In that case, I'm gonna go drop the boys off at Castle's and I'll be back in 30. Meanwhile, you can get rid of the hunk that you've got hidden in your apartment and I'll wait until you're ready to tell me about it, okay?"

"Thanks, Lanie. Just give me time." She hugged her friend for a few seconds before they moved to the sofa.

"Okay, boys, we're off to Castle's while Kate gets rid of her man candy in the bedroom."

"Ew. Too much. We're just gonna phone Castle before we set off so that we can make sure he's awake and not entertaining if you know what I mean." Ryan took out his phone and pressed the number to dial the writer. At that exact moment, Kate saw Castle's phone on the chair and went to sit on it to hide it, hoping that he had put it on silent for some reason. No such luck. Kate sat back, nibbling on her finger nails and she heard the muffled sound of _RING RING._ All eyes turned to look at her as she pretended to be oblivious to the sound.

Lanie spoke first.

"No way."

Lanie stood up quickly and made her way to Kate's bedroom with the femal detective hot on her heels. She entered the bedroom but saw no one. She checked in the closets but saw nothing. Kate breathed out in a sigh of relief, but was still worried that she'd be found out, even if she didn't know where he had moved to. She saw Castle's clothes on the floor of her closet, which meant he was still unclothed somewhere in the apartment. Lucky for her, Lanie didn't notice.

"He must have left his phone here. He came over last night so we could go over the case before I got ready for my date. He went home around 7 and I had my date at 8."

Lanie looked her up and down. She could tell she was hiding something but chose to say nothing. "C'mon, boys. We're going to Castle's."

Kate mouthed _thank you_. She remained in the bedroom until she Lanie and the boys had gone. She started to look around for Castle when she felt someone grab her foot. She screamed loudly before kicking about. Looking down, she saw Castle's head sticking out and smiling and his hand around her ankle.

"Damn it, Castle. Don't do that."

Just as he got out from under the bed, _still_ naked, she heard the door open and footsteps across the floor. Acting quickly, Kate moved to stand infront of Castle to hide the front of his body just as Lanie ran into the room.

"What happened Kate? I used my emergency key when I heard-"

Castle raised his hand waved casually at her. "Hey, Lanie."

She dropped her mouth open and grinned widely.

"Oh. My. God."

"What is it, chica?" Esposito and Ryan appeared behind her and high-fived. "Dude, you owe me fifty."

"You both owe me a hundred each." Lanie was looking rather smug and holding both her hands out.

"Do you guys think you could give me a minute? I'd like to get my clothes on."

Esposito and Ryan disappeared quickly not wanting to hang around. Lanie turned to go and reached the end of the hall before going back. "You've got 15 minutes Kate and then we're leaving to go... Damn, girl. You got plenty to play with there."

Kate had moved to the other side of the room leaving Castle bare to Lanie's inspection. "Lanie! Get out!"

* * *

><p>Several minutes later, Castle and Beckett joined the rest of the guys by the sofa, waiting for their interrogation.<p>

"So how long have you been holding out me, girl?"

Kate sighed. "Three weeks, that's all. We've been on a few dates and last night... well, you know."

Lanie couldn't hold in her happiness much longer. "God, Kate, I'm so happy for you guys. It was only a matter of time before you too finally saw the light."

While the girls were hugging, Ryan and Esposito confronted Castle. "You hurt her, and we hurt you. Understand?" It was quite comical that both detectives were shorter than the writer, but he figured now wasn't the best time to mention it.

"I wouldn't dream of it." He looked over to see Kate smiling over Lanie's shoulder. He turned back to the boys as they broke out in identical smiles and patted him on the back.

"We're happy for you, bro, but you cost me 50 bucks."

"Hey, he cost me 150 bucks."

The boys got wrapped in an arguement and Lanie released Kate fom her death grip. Castle sat on the arm of the sofa and pulled Kate towards him to stand in the V of his legs.

"Sorry they found out like this."

"Don't worry about it. You know what this means, right?"

He stood up and kissed her. "What?"

"Make-up sex." She pressed a key into his hand and pushed him back so he was sat down. "Lock up on your way out."

Lanie laughed as she and Kate left the apartment to go shopping.

He ignored the amused looks from the detectives.

"I need more pancakes."


	2. Caught on Camera

Caught on Camera

At the sound of ringing, Kate awoke from her sleep to grab her phone.

"Beckett."

"Yo, we got a body."

She sat up and grabbed the notepad by the side of the bed and a pen to jot down the address.

"Where is it?"

"Your apartment building, same floor but three doors down."

"Knock when you're here and I'll join you."

She put the phone down and sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. She hated getting up early for the sake of murder, but at least she didn't have to travel half way across town to see the body this time, although it was slightly unsettling that it had occured just three doors away from her. Taking her time, she took a shower, savouring the heat the water held. When she later entered the main room of the apartment, she spotted the flowers that rested in a vase on the coffee table. Smiling at the thought of the man who had given them to her, she walked into the kitchen to sort some breakfast. Normally, she wouldn't have time and would rely on a bearclaw from Castle.

Ahhh, Castle. They'd been successfully hiding the romantic relationship for almost two months now. It was incredible that they worked with a bunch of trained detectives and police officers, yet not one of them had realised that things had changed between them. To be honest, things were pretty much the same apart from the occassional make out session in a deserted observation room every once in a while and the heightened flirting. At first, Ryan and Esposito had been suspiscious about their disappearing acts during the day, but dating a best selling novelist had it's advantages in the form of excuses, which were actually quite good.

Castle, or Rick, as she now called him, hadn't stayed there the night before, as she'd asked for some space. She was still getting used to sharing her time and space with someone all the time, and would occasionally retreat back to her own bed alone every two weeks or so. It wasn't a reflection on their relationship, but on her, as she was an independant woman, and needed time to think things through on her own. Of course, these days, she couldn't think about anything other than her boyfriend and what she would have been doing with him had he been there at the time.

After breakfast, which was slightly burnt toast, she got bored of waiting around and decided to go to the crime scene without the guys. They shouldn't be long now. Before heading out, she sent a quick text to Castle telling him to some to her apartment. Not bothering with her coat and gun, she went down the hall to find CSU swarming the place. She held up her badge and was granted access bu the marshall.

Kate Beckett had lived in her apartment building since her old one had blown up, which was about a year ago. In that time, she hadn't engaged in conversations or friendships with any of her neighbours, but they'd nod respectfully as she passed in the mornings. After all, having an armed cop in the building made them feel a little bit safer, but she was sure that opinion would decrease quickly as the residents caught onto the events of the murder. The victim was Andrew Brody, a forty-five year old divorcee with no children to speak of. Kate had seen him around the building, but didn't know more about him than the fact that he was a man who minded his own business, just like she did.

Looking at the body, she saw red. Not from anger, but from blood. So much blood. Brody was sprawled on the floor, stab wounds covering his torso. Lanie was already there observing the body.

"Hey Girl, where are the boys?" She was looking around, scanning the room behind her, obviously looking for Esposito.

"They're on their way. Thought I'd get here and start looking around seeing as it's only down the hall."

She heard some familiar voices behind her and turned to see Ryan and Esposito approaching her with their eyes inspecting the surroundings.

"Yo. Oohh... Lots o' blood there." The hispanic detective grimaced and then winked at Lanie who giggled.

"I'm sorry, Lanie, but was that a giggle?"

Lanie blushed at Kate's comment.

"No. It was a laugh. You should try it sometime."

Kate rolled her eyes and started to ask the ME about the body infront of them.

"By the looks of things, he died from exsanguination. The stab wounds aren't near any major organs, but are deep enough to make sure he lost lots of blood very slowly. And by the look of the needle mark on his arm, I'd say he was sedated, because there's no sign or a struggle. I don't know about you, but if someone was trying to stab me multiple times, I wouldn't just stand there and take it. I'll know more after I get back to the morgue. I'll call you went I get something."

"Thanks, Lanie."

Kate nodded at her friend and stood up to wonder the apartment looking for anything useful. There were few photos, none of his ex-wife. Figures. Either he didn't have many friends and family, or he had no camera.

When she went to rejoin her team in the hall, Castle was nowhere to be seen. Her and the boys started spinning theories about the victim as they made their way around the corner to the elevator. As she turned the corner, she noticed the familiar figure leaning against her door.

"Castle, what are you doing around here? The crime scene is around the corner. And where are your fancy clothes?" Castle was taken aback by the sudden interrogation coming from Ryan.

He'd received a text from Beckett half an hour ago telling him to come around to her apartment. She'd neglected to mention anything about murder, which meant he now had to explain his casual attire to the male detectives, who would be quick to catch on to any suspiscious answers.

"My suits are all dirty. I forgot to wash them all." He ran his hand through his hair nervously, avoiding eye contact with them. He had a gift for great excuses, but that meant he also cursed with really bad ones, too.

"You have enough money to get someone to do it for you. Anyway, why are you around here? Body's 'round there."

It seemed Esposito was catching on to his lies. He was a detective after all.

"I didn't know there was a murder. I was summoned by the master to her apartment." He acknowledged Kate who walked forward to collect her coffee from his hand. He knew full well that she couldn't operate without her morning sustenance.

"Oooh, Beckett. Why did you want Castle at your place? So you can spend a little time making out, do a little-"

Ryan was interupted by Esposito clamping his hand over his mouth. He should have known better than make fun, and tease Beckett.

"Not cool, Bro."

Ryan quieted down, but turned back to them still expectant of an answer. Castle had spent the time during Ryan's little outburst preparing what he was going to say.

"We've been working out the details of the scholarship a lot lately seeing as it's getting close, so I presumed that she wanted to get started bright and early. We need to get the details down soon."

The two detectives looked at each other and grinned.

"Then where's all the paperwork, Castle?"

The writer looked down and realised he was empty-handed. If they'd been talking about the scholarship, he would have brought all the paperwork and brochures.

"I... uh...," he started.

"They're at his place. He was kind enough to offer to buy me breakfast and then go back to his." Kate continued at the smirks of her colleagues. "There's too much for him to bring over and his sofa is more expensive, and therefore more comfortable. Plus, he has a coffee machine that's better than mine. It's the logical choice."

Kate stepped into the elevator which had been called and had arrived whilst they'd been talking. She dragged Castle with her by the lapels of his shirt and Ryan and Esposito followed, defeated.

* * *

><p>Back at the Precinct, Kate was sat at her desk looking through bank records, searching for anything that could identify the killer. Castle was sat on his chair next to her, being surprisingly helpful by coming up with possible theories that didn't involve the CIA or aliens.<p>

Esposito was down in the morgue, 'talking' to Lanie about the 'body', and Ryan was going through footage of the hallway to see if they found that anyone entered the apartment around time of death, which was about 36 hours ago. After a few moments, he got something and called for them to gather around. By this time, Esposito had returned and joined the rest of them at the computer.

"Two nights ago, this man got off the elevator and entered the apartment. He simply knocked and entered, which meant Brody knew him and was willing to let him into his home."

Kate squinted at the screen.

"Enlarge the image of the suspect so his face is clearer."

Ryan did as he was told and Kate immediately recognized the man on the screen.

"I don't know his name, but he lives in the same building as me and Brody. I pass him sometimes and I've seen him in the elevator. Go back to the other screen. There. You can see the numbers light up above the elevator so you can see which floor he goes to."

Ryan let the tape play on and they observed the lights on the wall. It went down and was two floors beneath Kate's.

"We got him. We just need to find out which apartment he's in. I want you two to go over there and-"

"Woah, woah, woah. What do we have here?"

They all looked back to the screen in time to see Castle and Kate appear in the hallway, both sporting a wide grin. Much to Kate's annoyance, they were both holding hands, which Ryan immediately picked up on.

"You know, I think we should turn this off and go for lunch," Castle suggested, but the boys ignored him while Kate buried her face in her hands as the footage got more revealing.

Kate was stood unlocking her door, fumbling with the keys while Castle had his hands on her waist kissing her neck from behind. She was laughing as Castle turned her around and pressed her up against the door and kissed her thoroughly while her hands thread themselves through his hair and grasped at his clothing. Castle pulled away, grabbed the keys and unlocked the door quickly and they fell into the apartment still holding each other as the door closed behind them.

The two male detectives turned to the other two who were leant against Kate's desk looking embarassed.

"Scholarship my ass. You were there for something else this morning, am I right Castle?"

"Okay, so I may have been expecting a different kind of body."

Kate slapped his arm vicously, repressing a smile.

"Just wait 'til Lanie hears about this."

Kate went wide eyed. She was sure that Lanie would skin her and Castle alive for keeping this from her, and she wasn't too keen on that idea.

"Y'know. You guys stay here. Me and Castle are gonna go ahead and check out the apartments for our missing suspect. You guys try and get an ID. We'll be back in about an hour or two." She dragged Castle to the elevator for the second time that day and waved to the boys mockingly.

After the door closed, Ryan turned to Esposito. "Twenty bucks says they stop off at her apartment on the way, if you know what I mean."

"Dude, gross." He paused. "You're on."


	3. Alibi

_Thank you for all my fabulous reviews! Although I don't update often with this fic, it's nice to know I amuse you with my stories. Some of the ways they could be discovered are a bit cliched or overdone but I'll try my best. If you have any requests, I'd be willing to try them out._

_Enjoy!_

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><p>"Thish ish mhhmmm."<p>

"Good, huh?"

Rick Castle was a pretty good cook. He'd make meals for him, Alexis and his mother frequently. Simple and exotic. Although, what he called exotic, his family called deadly. He had a tendancy to mix foods together in combinations that should be illegal. He'd given himself food poisoning several times before, and would whimper loudly until Alexis gave in and nursed him unnecessarily. Yup. He loved to cook, but he also loved people making food for him, especially breakfast as it meant he didn't have to mess about when he was only half awake. It was in the mornings when he was most clumsy and dangerous. Specifically, he loved when Kate cooked for him. Granted, it was only waffles, but it was her mother's own special mix which made them all the better to eat.

And of course, there was the added bonus of seeing her half naked in his kitchen with bed head.

"Good, doesn't even begin to explain it." He took another mouthful. "Jushh sho goooood."

"Stop talking with your mouth full. It's disgusting." She cringed as he noisly chewed his food with his eyes closed to savor the flavor.

"Then stop making me talk. Not my fault you wore me out last night."

He was unaware that his daughter had just walked through the door after a sleepover at Paige's house. Alexis heard the comment and immediately plugged her ears with her fingers and sang "La la la!" going up the stairs to her room.

Kate shook her head at her boyfriend. She'd gotten used to Castle embarassing the young girl and effectively scarring her for life.

"I'm surprised that girl is still normal. She's not like you. She's... likable," Kate teased.

"Hey! Just you wait. She'll kick your ass at laser tag."

"Correction: _We'll _kick _your _ass at laser tag. There's a difference."

He scowled at her mockingly and straightened as he heard a fist knock at his door. Kate immediately scanned the room for any evidence that she'd been there before rushing to Castle's bedroom to hide. They hadn't come clean to anyone but Alexis and Martha and wanted to explore their relationship before everyone found out. She entered the room and sat on the bed, pulling on her clothes so she would at least look presentable if she was discovered. Her friends were Detectives after all. As she was fastening her blouse, she heard Castle exclaim a surprised, "What?" and leant against the door to listen in on his conversation. She heard silence and then footsteps approaching the bedroom. She leapt back before she got concussed by the door swinging open revealing a half-naked Castle sliding into the room.

"What's goin-" Kate started to speak but was cut off by Castle's hand on her mouth as he placed a finger to his lips, telling her to be quiet. He removed his hand walked to the closet to start retrieving clothing.

"What's going on? Who's at the door?" She whispered this time, careful not to speak too loud.

"It's Karpowski at the door and some rookie. There's been a murder and they want me to go down to the station for questioning. They're being nice enough to trust me to get dressed and not climb through the window."

"And they think you've committed murder?" She laughed.

"I know, right. I'm a loving, affectionate writer, I don't kill people. Unless they're fictional of course, but at least I have the decency to make sure the killer is found and arrested."

She rolled her eyes and patted him on the chest. "I'll head out to my place, then go to the station and see how you're getting along. Just behave, okay. I've had the 'pleasure' of interrogating you twice in the past, and I wouldn't wish it upon anybody else." She made air quotes with her fingers as she said the word pleasure, which made Castle gasp mockingly.

"Castle, are you in there?"

They went silent at Karpowski's voice on the other side of the door. Castle kissed her silently and mouthed, "Bye," before disappearing out of the room and following the detective to the station.

* * *

><p>She was now at her apartment showering and getting a change of clothes. She'd told Alexis that they'd gone to the station, leaving out the fact that Castle had had no choice. Brewing a quick coffee, she heard her phone ring out and checked the caller ID before answering. Esposito.<p>

"Beckett."

"Hey, you need to get to the station."

"Do we have a body?"

"No, Castle is being questioned by the other homicide team and they're getting pretty frustrated. He's a suspect in a murder that happened last night. Witness said it looked like a famous author he'd seen in the papers, and said it was Castle when they showed him pictures."

Oh. Not good.

"I'm on my way, and tell him to play nice."

She hung up and grabbed her coffee before heading out the door of her apartment. Stood in the elevator, she remembered what Esposito had told her.

_A murder that happened last night._

_Last night._

She groaned out loud, thankful for being the only one in the empty box.

She was Castle's alibi.

* * *

><p>She arrived at the precinct and was greeted by 3 empty desks. Hers, Ryan's and Esposito's. Looking around, she could see her two colleagues, but caught sight of the door to the interrogation room propped open by a foot from the inside. She took off her jacket and placed over the back of her chair before making her way to the room. When she opened the door, six or seven people, including Ryan and Esposito turned their heads to look at her and then returned to facing the glass. Standing next to her two team mates, she saw the man of their attention sitting across a table leaning back into his chair looking right at home. She wouldn't expect anything less of Castle.<p>

"How's it going?" Keeping her voice quiet, she asked the boys details while everyone else continued to observe.

"Let's just say we're sorry for ever leaving you alone in there when we arrested him. It's a miracle Karpowski hasn't hit him yet. Don't get me wrong, he's cooperating but he's making a game of it."

She sighed and rolled her eyes, focussing on the ongoing conversation infront of her.

"So you've never met this woman, Mr Castle?"

"I know a lot of women, Detective. But no, as far as I can recall, I've never seen her before."

The detective jotted something down on paper as Castle stood. He knew how these things worked and figured he'd finished.

"One more thing, Castle. Where were you last night?"

He stopped moving suddenly and rubbed his face with the palms of his hands. Kate could tell he'd just had the same 'Oh crap' moment that she'd had earlier. She tensed in the observation room, hoping nobody was any good at reading body language. She heard a voice she didn't recognise behind her mutter, "This looks like it's gonna be interesting."

Interesting, indeed.

"Mr Castle. Do you have alibi for last night around 12AM?"

He sighed and sat down slowly.

"I was at home in bed."

"Can your daughter tell us that you didn't leave the apartment?"

It was well known around the precinct that Castle lived with his teenage daughter and eccentric mother. The fact the Martha lived with him used to be basis for a lot of jokes when he first started helping Beckett out.

"My daughter was at her friend's house and my mother was at one of her wild parties."

"So you were alone?"

"No. I was with a friend."

Karpowski raised her eyebrows.

"A lady friend by any chance?"

He nodded slowly. His actions drew a few 'oooh's' from the men around her. She felt cornered. There was no way that Castle was going to get out of this without giving her name up and she was surrounded by witnesses to his admission.

"I'm gonna need a name, Mr Castle."

"Could I possibly whisper the name? I have no doubt that there are several people behind the glass right now, and my sex-life is exactly that. Mine." He looked so childish and innocent sat there. He knew full well that the detective sat opposite him knew he was innocent, but he also knew that it was protocol and would save him a lot more grief.

"It will go down on file, her name too. So I suggest that you tell us, sorry, me, now because everybody with access to those files and my team will find out anyway."

He looked at the mirror and made eye-contact with her. He'd known Kate long enough to know that she stood in the exact same place by the glass whenever she was in the observation room. She crossed her arms over her chest and leant forward so that her forehead made contact with the glass.

He spoke quietly as he sad her name.

"I was with Kate."

Karpowski's eyes went wide at his words. "You mean our Kate? Kate Beckett?"

He exhaled loudly. "The one and only."

Looking around the room, every single face was looking at her intently, most of them wearing smiles.

"And you and Detective Beckett were together _all _night?" She was seeking revenge from Castle's earlier cockiness by winding him up about his alibi. He opened his mouth to speak when Kate knocked and opened the foor to the interrogation room.

"You," she pointed to Castle,"say _nothing._ We're done here, don't you think?"

Castle quickly left his chair behind and followed her out the room. They walked over to her desk silently and sat on the edge of the table as though they were looking at the murder board.

"I'm sorry, Kate."

She smiled at him. "Don't worry about it, Rick. They'd have found out eventually. Besides, they certainly didn't see that coming, did they?"

He chuckled and saw Ryan and Esposito approaching the desk.

"Go home, Castle. Get a shower and come back. You smell."

He feigned hurt and placed his hand over his heart.

"Your words wound me."

She leant up and kissed his cheek before whispering in his ear. "That's all the PDA you're gonna be getting so enjoy it while you can."

Ryan and Esposito were within earshot now, tempting Castle to tease her.

"Bye, babe."

She'd told him before not to call her babe, but to be honest she kind of liked it. He disappeared into the elevator and gave a little wave as the door slid shut. She turned to meet the gaze of her two amused colleagues.

"Babe, huh?" Ryan grinned at his partner and then stopped suddenly when he caught the look on Kate's face.

"Do I have to threaten bodily harm again?"

They both walked back to their desks, pausing to give each other a high-five.


	4. Awkward

_It's been ages since I last updated this fic. Therefore I decided to take some time to write another chapter, but it's only short. Enjoy._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or any of the characters._

* * *

><p>Chapter 4 - Awkward<p>

Fact: Richard Castle was madly in love with Detective Kate Beckett, his best friend and muse.

Dilemma: Detective Kate Beckett was emotionally distant which meant that he had no idea if she returned his feelings. She'd also been single for several weeks, even though she didn't know he'd found out. (He owed Lanie immensely).

Solution: After 3 years of wondering, today was the day that he was going to reveal exactly how he felt about her, regardless of her own emotions. After all, it was about time one of the broke the stalemate, and in no uncertain terms, his mother had told him to 'get his girl'.

Naturally he was nervous. He was about to pour his heart out to the woman he loved. At least he was trying to. More that 3 opportunities had presented themselves to him in the day, and each time, either a body, Ryan and Esposito, or Kate herself had ruined the moment, which left a very annoyed Castle wondering whether it was a good idea at all.

"We'll be right there."

The Writer was startled from his thoughts by Kate putting the phone down rather noisily to purposely catch his attention. He'd been quiet all day, which raised very loud alarm bells in her head. She knew him. He'd talk when he was ready, which hopefully would be soon. She wanted her Castle back.

"Perlmutter wants us at the morgue, he's found something useful to the case." She stood up as she was speaking. "You comin'?"

He made a small sound of agreement and followed closely behind her to the elevator. As the doors closed, Castle figured he had enough time left in the day to give his mission one last shot.

He cleared his throat noisily and furrowed his eyebrows, drawing Kate's attention.

"Spit it out, Castle. You've been quiet all day."

"You sure? I can't take it back afterwards."

Now she was confused, but she nodded for him to continue.

"I've been trying to tell you something all day and naturally, being me and you, something keeps interrupting at the worst time."

The elevator doors opened again, signalling they were almost at the morgue. Kate got out first and walked briskly towards the doors where Perlmutter awaited them.

"Castle, can we talk about this later?"

He reached out and grabbed her wrist before turning her round to face him.

"No, we can't. I won't wait any longer to tell you."

She rolled her eyes at him but on the inside, her heart was beating just as furiously as his was.

"I've been here for 3 years now and I must admit, they're probably the best three years of my life. At first it was the murders that drew me in, then it was the rush of victory you get when you nail a killer, but then I started coming back everyday because you needed me. Whether you needed me to help solve a case, help you go rogue, to tease Ryan and Esposito or just to cheer you up. And now after working with you for all this time, I find myself needing you too."

While he was speaking, the hand that had been holding her wrist had moved to her hand to inter twine their fingers. His body as a whole had moved a lot closer and his voice had gone softer, even though it still had the obvious nervous tone to it.

"I don't wanna wait for another bullet to take you down before I say this again. I love you, Kate. So much."

She wasn't expecting that. She was staring wide-eyed at him, mouth slightly open in shock and her breathing may have gone a little shallower.

"Say something. Please."

Even after spending her days trying to tease Castle until he was speechless, she was a little confused at the invisible barrier that was seemingly halting the words forming in her throat from leaving her mouth as speech.

She felt the same way. God, did she ever. She knew he had feelings for her, love even, but she was not expecting his sudden admission in a dimly lit hallway in the basement of a Manhattan building with dead bodies on ice just next door. It was so...

Them.

Before Castle could apologise and ask for forgiveness for his outburst, he felt her hands on either side of his face, her gaze meeting his and her breath warm on his lips.

"I feel it too, Rick."

The corners of his mouth quirked up.

"Yeah?"

She bit her lip before replying.

"Yeah."

He leant closer to her, preparing himself for the kiss of a lifetime, but she moved her face and shook her head.

"Not here."

She looked around her, saw that no one was present and opened the janitor's closet close by. He was alarmed at her strength as she pushed him in and closed the door behind them. In the darkness, he felt her lips on his, soft and sweet.

As they parted, she grabbed the lapels of his coat and forced him to press her against the wall, all the time trying to part his lips with her tongue. It didn't take long. Before they knew it, they wrapped in each other, grasping clothing with their hands.

It didn't register to them that the light had been turned on until they heard a very familiar, "Ahem."

Breaking apart quickly, they turned to see equally flustered Lanie and Esposito, who was holding the cord for the light that dangled by the door. They were probably in the closet for the same reason.

Lanie shot raised eyebrows at Kate, Kate shot an angry glare at Esposito, Esposito wore an amused look in Castle's direction and Castle was trying to hard to catch his breath and keep his hold on the woman he had pressed against the wall.

A few seconds were spent flattening clothes and tidying hair.

"Well, this kinda awkward," Castle remarked.

Stood back in the hallway, Kate stood close to them and said in a whisper, "This never happened."

She turned to go to the morgue leaving a confused Castle to get probed by the questioning looks of Esplanie.

* * *

><p>The next day, Kate walked into the Precinct to see the boys, Castle and Lanie leaning against a desk and admiring the door in front of them.<p>

Interested to see what was the object of their attention, she saw that the sign 'Janitor' had been removed from the bull pen's closet door and replaced with a rather nice 'Caskett' sign.


	5. Drunk

_I haven't updated in a while, I haven't forgotten about this fic. I'm just sooo tired these least few weeks. Hopefully, I might have another up in a few days._

* * *

><p><span>Chapter 5 - Drunk<span>

Sat at her desk, Detective Kate Beckett was deep in the paperwork that their last case had supplied them with. Next to her desk was her new boyfriend of nine days, thirteen hours. Not that either of them were counting, of course. Castle was looking intently at his iPhone, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration which Kate found adorable. It was hard not to look up every few seconds to sneak a peek at him. She still couldn't believe they were together. Only took them three years. Castle, or Rick as she now called him, was trying out his newest app and was so focussed on it that he jumped slightly at the sudden sound of Esposito's voice coming from behind him.

"Yo, guys. Captain says we have the night off because we closed the case so quickly. Fancy some drinks? I know a place where we can get served for free."

Castle composed himself quickly ready for a comeback. "I dunno, Esposito. Maybe the owner thinks you've been chugging too much of his beer and is considering charging you double instead."

"Maybe the owner forgets I can kick his ass and arrest him, huh?"

Castle glared at him and turned back to Kate.

"What about it, Detective? Fancy a few cocktails tonight? Been a while since I've gotten drunk and tonight feels like the perfect opportunity. You know you want to."

"Only if Lanie comes along. I don't fancy being stuck with you three talking about video games again."

Esposito held up his phone. "She's already invited."

The detective went over to Ryan's desk to invite him along as well before settling down to finish his reports before their night out.

"So, Beckett? What kind of drunk are you?" He raised his eyebrow suggestively.

"There are kinds now?"

"Yeah. Some people get real happy, others cry, some are a complete train wreck and some get a little... forward, shall we say. So c'mon. Which is it?"

Beckett rolled her eyes. She didn't get drunk much, but when she did, her actions were dependant on her mood, company and kind of alcohol she was drinking. She didn't tell him that though. She preferred to tease him.

"You'll have to wait and find out." He audibly swallowed as she winked at him and bit her lip seductively.

"I look forward to it."

.

Sitting in their favorite booth, the six of them, inlcluding Jenny were sat drinking and laughing in their separate conversations. Castle was sat with him arm around Kate's shoulders, which didn't spark any suspiscions with the rest of them. It had been a normal occurence before their relationship, even if their friends were unaware of it just yet.

When Jenny made yet another trip to the bar for drinks, Castle just had to ask.

"How many drinks have you had, Jenny?"

"I don't know. I lost count, but I can hold my alcohol pretty damn well. I'm Irish after all."

"It's true," Ryan added, "I've only ever seen her drunk once before, although to be fair it was more like she was a little tipsy. She still managed to drag me home some how. I have a pretty low tolerance."

When Jenny returned to the booth, Castle proposed a challenge. He'd offered to pay for her and Ryan's honeymoon after their wedding for weeks now, but they turned him down, as what he was offering was pretty expensive.

"Ryan, you know that honeymoon I offered you and Jenny before? I know you feel like you shouldn't take it, but I'll do ya a deal. If I beat your future missus in a drinking competition, you have to take the trip."

The detective looked at the writer unsure, but didn't have a chance to refuse before everyone else on the table agreed for him.

"What if you win, although I highly doubt it."

"Then I get to be best man."

It was safe to say that Esposito was now backing Jenny at Castle's added stakes.

"There's only one way to do this right." He motioned to the bartender for a bottle of tequila as he disappeared and returned with salt and limes.

"No way, Castle. You are not seducing my girl."

Castle chuckled at is statement, obviously thinking about the scene from _Heat Wave _where Nikki and Rook slept together after shots of tequila.

"I was kinda hoping someone else would feel tempted to give it a try instead... Ouch! What was that for?"

Kate was glaring at him with raised eyebrows after kicking him rather forcefully in the shin. She wouldn't openly admit it, but tequila, limes and salt with Castle was a fantasy of hers after the book. It was certain Castle wouldn't mind re-enacting the scene with her.

"What makes you think I was talking about you. I mean, Esposito's looking pretty dishy tonight."

He received another kick and an order to shut up.

After the first two shots, both of the opponents were still sober and willing to carry on.

Ater the third shot, Castle started to feel a slight buzz. Jenny felt nothing.

After the fourth, Kate realised her boyfriend was a happy drunk as he started to laugh to himself. Jenny seemed relatively unaffected.

After the fifth, Kate changed her mind and deduced Castle to be a forward drunk as his hand started to drift up her thigh which had previously rested on her knee.

When they got to the seventh shot, they silently decided that it was best that they take the alcohol away from the writer to prevent him getting _too _drunk. Jenny won.

"Nooooooo. I was having fuuuun," Castle whined dramatically. They all sniggered at his childlike manner and his pouted lip.

"It's for your own good, Castle. You're gonna have a pretty bad hangover."

"Shhhhhh. I'll be fine." He reached out a patted her cheek as she smiled at his actions.

"Keep your hands to yourself, Writerboy. She'll cut them off, "Lanie teased. She found him overly amusing with lowered inhibitions.

"Lanie, Lanie, Laaaaanie. It's Writer_man."_

"Sure it is, Castle. You keep thinking that."

They continued talking for a little while until they were interupted again. Castle was repeatedly poking Kate's shoulder trying to get her attention.

"What is it, Castle?"

He looked around at everyone and whispered in her ear," I needa go the the bafffrooooom."

"You know where it is."

"Duuuuuh. But I can't stand up without going BAM on the floor." He hit the table as he said 'BAM' making it rattle and spilling Esposito's beer all over him.

"Ohh, uhhh. Sorry Epsi... Etspo... Dude."

Everyone giggled at the display. Esposito stood up and mentioned going to attempt to dry himself off.

"Oh, hey, would you take Castle with you. He can't walk without help."

The detective sighed and did as he was told. When they made it back, Esposito was crying with laughter and Castle had a stormy look on his face as he clung to the other man for stability.

"Please. Don't ask."

Castle literally fell into his seat, bumping into Kate. Esposito started to tell the story that made him laugh while Castle rested him head on his girlfriend's shoulder.

"Hey," she whispered, "What's wrong?"

He groaned and shifted so his face was in her neck, made possible as she was sat at an angle facing her friends.

"Mm, shleepy."

She instinctly raised her hand to run her fingers through his hair.

"Want me to take you home?"

He nodded into the crook of her neck but groaned as she tried to stand up and move. He wrapped his arms around her waist to keep her sat next to him, which caught everyone elses attention.

"Rick, I have to stand up if you wanna go home."

She made another attempt to get up but he only held her tighter.

"Mmm. I like it here. You smell nice."

His voice was muffled by her hair, but the others could still hear him and were making no move to let them know they were listening.

"You can't stay there forever, you know."

"But whyyyy?"

"Because it's time to get you to bed."

"Trying to get my clothes off, Kate?"

She smiled to herself. He may be a pain, but drunk Castle was pretty cute. Her facial expression turned to horror, her eyes going wide when she realised that he'd started placing open-mouthed kisses against her skin. She kicked him under the table and was met with the confused looks of her friends. Her hair was blocking their view of what Castle was doing and had no idea what was going on.

"Stop!" She said sharply, causing him to look up at her.

"You ssaid you like it when I kisshhh yer neck."

Lanie's eyes went wide.

"_Did _she now?"

"She likes it when I-" Castle's mouth was suddenly covered by a warm hand preventing him from speaking.

"What I don't like, Ricky, is you telling everybody what you get up to in your spare time," she hissed quietly, underestimating Lanie's bat-like hearing.

Kate stood up, helping Castle up after her. He stumbled and fell on her leaving her crushed between a wall. In his drunken state, the writer forgot about his surrounding friends and their should-be secret and kissed his girlfriend.

She couldn't help but open her mouth to his tongue, moaning when he pressed her further into the wall. As he started to fall to the left, she broke the kiss and grabbed hold of him to keep him upright. She wasn't going to be able to do this on her own.

"Hey, guys, mind helping me with this?"

They closed their open mouths and moved swiftly to either side of Castle and led him through the door to the street. She was catching up with him when she was grabbed by a hand.

Should've known Lanie would give her opinion.

"So he kisses your neck, huh?"

Kate turned a bright shade of red, but didn't prevent the smile from blooming on her face.

"Yeah, and that's not all he does with his mouth."

Safe to say, she left the ME speechless. She counted that as an achievement.


	6. Bound

**This one was inspired by upcoming episode 'Cuffed'. Next one will probably involve Alexis and Martha. I've been neglecting them. D:**

**Bound**

"You really think this guy did it? He seems pretty harmless to me."

"I've been doing this job a lot longer than you, Castle, and believe me, sometimes the last person you expect is the bastard that actually did it."

Castle shifted in the passenger seat of Beckett's Crown Vic, ignoring the spring poking into his ass. "I guess, but they other guy looked really good for it. And he _looked_ like a killer. Scars on his face, tattoos everywhere and the evil eyes. I swear to God, he was looking into my soul."

Beckett turned the car into a small space at the side of the road near the suspect's apartment, simultaneously rolling her eyes at Castle's comment.

"You are so dramatic. You are definitely your mother's son."

They got out of the car and walked into the nearest appartment building, a nervous Castle stalling behind.

"Are you sure we don't need back up? This guy has tied up three women and killed them. If we antagonize him, he might tie _us _up." He stopped suddenly and looked at Beckett with a grin on his face. "On second thought, having you tied to me wouldn't be such a bad thing. I might insult him, just in case."

"Seriously, Castle, if you don't stop with that line of thought, I'll cuff you to the car myself and leave you alone. Better hope that I don't accidentally lose the key."

* * *

><p>They were both silent on the elevator ride up to the apartment. When they got there, Beckett knocked on the door and it swung open on it's hinge. She withdrew her gun and motioned for Castle to stay behind her. She entered the room carefully, spinning around to check the corners. When she was satisfied that the place was empty, she reholstered her gun and started to look around the bedroom.<p>

"Looks like he's gone. Most likely knew we were on to him an-"

She stopped talking when she heard a click echo throughout the room, easily recognisable as the safety on a gun. Her hand automatically went back to her weapon but a voice stopped her before she could turn and point it at the suspect.

"Don't even think about it, Sweetheart, or I'll shoot pretty boy over here." The voice was calm but hoarse. "You forgot to check under the bed when you did your search."

She span on her feet slowly so as not to alarm the gunman. He was stood behind Castle, his face barely visable over the writer's broad shoulders. Her partner had an uncomfortable wince on his face, which led Beckett to think that he had a gun pressed to his lower back, and forcefully at that.

"Lucky for you guys, I have to get out of here so I don't miss my flight. Won't tell you where, wouldn't like to ruin the surprise. So I'll leave quietly and you'll be fine. Yes?"

Beckett looked Castle in the eyes and nodded.

"Okay then. I need you both to empty your pockets, rid your person of your cells or anything else that could be used to contact anyone. Put them in the corner of the room over there. Gun included." They did as they were told. "Okay, Detective, I want you both to sit on the bed, thread your cuffs through the headboard and put them on a wrist each. And make sure they're tight. Wouldn't want you slipping away and coming after me now, would we?"

The detective eyed the decorative headboard which was made of strong metal, which meant they'd have to get out using a key. No chance of breaking free by force.

"If you could also give me the key, that would be greatly appreciated."

Beckett sat on the bed with Castle to her left and put the cuff on her wrist, tight enough that their suspect would be satisfied, but loose enough that it wouldn't dig into her skin. She then cuffed Castle's hand, her touch lingering for a second to reassure him that they would be okay.

"So err... I'll be off, I think. Nice to meet you, and I hope not to see you again." He gave a little wave before picking up a large duffel bag under the bed and leaving the apartment.

When she heard the door slam shut, she turned to face Castle.

"Don't. Say. A word."

He refrained from speaking and gave a happy sigh instead. He received a death glare in return. "What? It's not my fault I got held at gunpoint."

"No, but you had to jinx it by saying we'd get tied up, didn't you and now we have no way of contacting Ryan and Espo to come and pick us up and arrest the suspect. You don't happen to have a spare key, do you?"

"'Fraid not this time."

They were silent for a few minutes before Castle dared to speak.

"How long before they realise that we're not coming back any time soon?"

Beckett held her head with her remaining hand. "I don't know. They'll think that we're having sex somewhere."

"Well, if I move a little this way, we could probably-"

"Don't finish that sentence."

He squoze his lips together in an attempt to silence himself, but it hadn't worked in the past and it wasn't about to work now.

"You want to talk about something?"

"There's nothing to talk about."

"Actually, there's everything to talk about, but if you wanna play that again, feel free."

Beckett glared at him. "And what it exactly is that supposed to mean?"

"Think about it, Kate. We're cuffed to a bed alone, and we won't get help for a while, so we may as well talk about stuff. Don't ask what, because I know that you know."

She exhaled heavily and turned on her side to get more comfortable. "Fine, what do you want to start with?"

He wasted no time in suggesting a topic. "The kiss."

"Geez, you don't beat around the bush, do you? What about it?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but that kiss was pretty damn amazing and meant more to me than an undercover kiss on a dark street. If I'm gonna be honest, I'm hoping you feel the same." He started to feel nervous about her reaction. Had he said to much? Would she cower away from him and ru-

"It was pretty good," she said in a quiet voice.

"I'm sorry, it was _what_ now? Just good? You're meant to say amazing, mindblowing, breathtaking, earth shattering..."

"Okay, okay. It was... amazing."

"Ever thought about doing it again?"

"Pushing your luck, Castle"

"I'll take that as a yes."

She gave a small smile and blushed slightly, her cheeks tinted pink as she turned towards him even more, if that was possible. Her head was leaning on her cuffed hand which was being held up by her elbow on the pillow. Castle was lied down, his cuffed hand outstretched to place distance between them. He didn't want her to feel uncomfortable and run away, not with the progress he'd just made. His fingers were occasionally brushing her wrist where he could feel her steady pulse.

"Anything else to talk about?"

"Depends. Do you have anything to confess?" She took a deep breathe in, desperately trying to find something in her mind to replace the thought of the 'forgotten' confession of love a few months back.

"I wanted to go to the Hampton's with you. I was going to tell you when Gina arrived."

Castle's jaw almost hit the floor. "Why didn't you tell me? I would have told Gina that there'd been a change of plan. You were the one that I wanted there with me, not her."

"Yet you took her anyway."

"You were with Demming. It was hard to watch you together and I didn't want to spend summer alone when you'd be spending it with Schlemming."

She raised her eyebrows. "I broke up with _Tom_ the day you left."

"Could have told me that in the interrogation room when I came back."

"Yeah, well. I was mad at you. So was everyone else."

"So that was why... ahhh. I get it now." He closed his eyes in annoyance with himself and his head fell face first into the pillow, letting out a muffled groan. "I am so sorry. I didn't mean to hurt you, or upset you, you have to know that."

"I know, Castle. Don't worry about it. It's done and I'm kinda glad it turned out that way. If I'd gone with you, it wouldn't have worked out as well as it could do now."

Now it was his turn to raise his eyebrows. "Now?"

She blushed. "I kept something else from you as well."

"Before you start, you should know that I've kept something from you too and I think I should tell you before you continue, because you might just hate me after this."

Her face showed her confusement at the statement. "Go on.."

"You have to know that I did it because I don't want anything to happen to you. You're gonna be mad at me but I did it with the best of intentions and with your best interests at heart. A few days after you returned back to active duty, I got a phone call from a man who had received files from Montgomery before he was shot. They tried to kill you, but it's changed. They're willing to let you live as long as you stay out of it and leave the case alone." He paused before continuing, noting her blank expression. "I know how important it is to you that we find the guy who did this, and I remember what you said on the swings, and... I want that for you. I want closure so you can be who you need to be, so I've been looking into the case instead. The case is important to you, but you're important to me. You can live without the case, but I can't live without you."

His voice tapered off at the end, getting quieter until he stopped when the last word was spoken.

"Kate, say something, please."

A silent tear fell down her face. She turned to look away from him, avoiding eye contact as best as she could while she was cuffed to a bed.

What had he done?

* * *

><p>At some point in the next two hours, Castle drifted to sleep. Beckett, however, couldn't even begin to fall into a slumber. She was outraged at his confession. It had stung the first time he admitted to looking into Johanna Beckett's case, but the second time? It had burned deep. What she didn't expect was the healing ability of Castle's fingers resting against hers while he lay next to her. He was right in a way. This case meant a lot her, but he meant so much more. The case brought her pain, and he brought her so much joy it made her want to burst. She got Coonan and it was enough for now. They'd get the guy together, but she decided that that was exactly how she wanted it. With them <em>together.<em>

She turned to look at him as he slept. His hair was drooping over her eyes and looked adorable, but she couldn't overlook the pained expression on his face. Before she could give herself a chance to talk herself out of it, she leant over and brushed the strands of dark hair away from his forehead, running her fingers through his soft hair. He mumbled something incoherent before opening his eyes slightly, and then wider when he saw her so close.

"You kept something like that from me Castle and it hurt me, but I've kept something from you and I know it's gonna hurt you. To be honest, I think you already know what I'm about to say. I could see the doubt in your eyes when I said that I had no recollection of the funeral, but I do. I never forgot in the first place. I was so scared, Rick. I'd lost Montgomery, I'd been shot, things were ending with Josh and then you drop a bombshell like that as I'm dying in your arms and it terrified me. I didn't say anything because I had so much to deal with, but I told myself that it wouldn't always be a secret. I'd tell you eventually and everything would work out. And that's exactly what I want, Castle. I want you."

"What about your mother's case?" he said, not quite believing what he was hearing.

"We'll get him. I've waited for almost thriteen years to find the man who took my mother away from me, and I can wait a little longer. But I don't want you to have to wait for me forever, because I know that I can't resist you for that long."

He sat up and intertwined their fingers in their cuffs. He looked at her hesistantly. "What are you saying?"

She raised her uncuffed hand to his cheek and looking into his eyes for a few seconds. "That the feeling is very, very mutual."

He barely registered her words before their lips met in a sweet kiss. They broke away and rested their foreheads together. "I love you, Kate."

"And I suppose I love you too." She pressed their mouths back together with a smile before he could utter another word. His tongue swept across her lip, encouraging her to let him inside. She did willingly, and moaned when their tongues met and danced together in a fight of dominance. They were so engrossed in their kiss that they didn't register the opening of the door, and the sound of footsteps coming towards the bedroom.

"Dude, I told you they were in bed together."

They turned to find Ryan and Esposito looking very pleased with themselves.

"Wait 'til Lanie hears about this."

"Yes. From me. So you two stay away from the morgue and no sneaky text messages," Kate warned. "Now for the love of God, uncuff us."


End file.
